©InfoWe’re all familiar with the scare stories about asylum seekers ‘flooding’ the UK. But how do these tales of mass invasion stand up against the statistical data?
How many of the world’s displaced come to the UK?
People seeking asylum worldwide in 2009: 923,400
Asylum applications in the UK in 2009: 24,485
How much of total immigration do asylum seekers account for in the UK?
Total long-term immigration to the UK in 2010: 572,000
Asylum applications in the UK in 2010: 17,790
How many asylum seekers are allowed to stay in the UK?
Total asylum applications to the UK in 2010: 17,790
Total granted refugee status in 2010: 3,480
Which countries do asylum seekers come from?
Far fewer people come to the UK to apply for asylum than you might think. Out of almost 40 million displaced people throughout the world who are of concern to UNHCR, a tiny percentage come to the UK. Of these, the top nationalities include:
Afghanistan
Number arrived in the UK in 2010: 1,605
Sudan
Number arrived in the UK in 2010: 575
Iran
Number arrived in the UK in 2010: 1,865
Somalia
Number arrived in the UK in 2010: 590
Zimbabwe
Number arrived in the UK 2010: 1,410
All ‘number arrived’ figures: Home Office
What do the terms mean?
In the eyes of much of the UK public, the terms ‘refugee’, ‘asylum seeker’ and ‘migrant’ have almost blurred into one. This is far from the truth (and far from helpful) so here’s a handy guide to help you understand the different terms.
Asylum seeker
- flees their homeland
- arrives in another country
- makes themselves known to the authorities
- submits an asylum application
- has a legal right to stay in the country while awaiting a decision.
Refugee
- has proven to the authorities that they would be at risk if returned to their home country
- has had their claim for asylum accepted by the government.
Refused asylum seeker
- has been unable to prove that they would face persecution back home
- has been denied protection by the authorities
- has been told to leave the country
Economic migrant
- has moved to another country to work
- could be legally or illegally resident, depending on how they
entered the country
- may or may not have a legal work permit
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